J-S Letter to the editor: Attention BBBS Bigs of NW Illinois

Our program was contacted by a Rotary Club in Cheshire, CT who is sponsoring a literacy project, srbrown.info/comics. They are inviting BBBS Programs to participate in this project due to the positive impact it can have on the Littles.

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Journal Standard

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Posted Jan. 13, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Posted Jan. 13, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Our program was contacted by a Rotary Club in Cheshire, CT who is sponsoring a literacy project, srbrown.info/comics. They are inviting BBBS Programs to participate in this project due to the positive impact it can have on the Littles. To participate in this project, you would work together with your Little to write a two-page mini-graphic novel that utilizes 12 illustrations. The timeframe for completion is the end of the school year (May 2014). This is how the project works: • The first step would be for you to work together with your Little to select and arrange 12 illustrations in an order that tells a story. o Illustrations are selected from 500 non-copyrighted, public domain numbered illustrations • Next, you would create a Word document and write two or three sentences to describe what is happening in an illustration and give the identification number of each one, for example w13.jpg. At the top of the document you would include a title and a one-sentence synopsis of the story. • Once the story is completed, the story and the numbers of the illustrations that go with each section would be emailed to Samuel Brown at cheshbrownsr@cox.net • Brown would then reconfigure the story so that it includes the full-color illustrations and fits on two 8 1/2” x 11” pages. A version in pdf format would be emailed back to the you so you can share it with your Little. The key to the success of this project is the sense of ownership that the Littles will feel when they complete the stories. They will have a vested interest in creating a quality story and will look forward to receiving their copy. This project has been tested out with two very different populations--inmates at Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire, CT, USA and high school and college students in Mexico who are scholarship recipients of Project Amigo. Links to their stories may be found by going to srbrown.info/stories/adult/. This is a voluntary Rotary Club project and no one is charged anything or realizes any profit. If the Little and you give your permission, the story may be included on the Illustrated Stories website, srbrown.info/stories, for other people to enjoy. Otherwise, a pdf version of the story will simply be sent to you. Please discuss this opportunity with your Little to see if you both have an interest in participating. It sounds like a fun activity to engage in together! — Cherie Rucker, Julie Asche and Sharon Mockridge, Freeport